The present invention is directed toward a system for managing air in a motorcycle and, more particularly, toward a system for providing air to a radiator mounted toward the rear of a motorcycle.
Conventionally, a motorcycle has a radiator mounted in front of the engine and behind the front forks. The radiator is mounted in this forward location to enable the radiator to receive cooling air during operation of the motorcycle. This forward location, however, is not without disadvantages. At least a portion of the cooling air is blocked by front portions of the motorcycle, such as the front wheel, front forks, front fender and fairing. Accordingly, the size of the radiator must be increased to obtain satisfactory cooling performance. This, in turn, increases the front profile of the motorcycle, which is aesthetically undesirable and adversely affects the aerodynamics of the motorcycle.
In order to address these disadvantages, it has been proposed to provide a motorcycle with a radiator that is mounted toward the rear of the motorcycle. Examples of such motorcycles are shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. JP6171568, Japanese Patent Publication No. 5201375, U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,587 to Hillman and U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,812 to Bothwell. In the motorcycle disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5201375, a radiator is mounted between support tubes for right and left seat rails of a frame. Air is guided to the radiator by a single air guide duct that extends longitudinally between an engine and a fuel tank of the motorcycle.
Although a rear-mounted radiator improves the aesthetics and aerodynamics of a motorcycle, the placement of the radiator away from the front of the motorcycle presents other concerns. Since the radiator is positioned away from the air flow impinging on the motorcycle, an air management system must be provided to supply a sufficient amount of cooling air to the radiator.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a cooling system that places the radiator in a more advantageous rearward position, and for an air management system that delivers air to the radiator.